Monthly Archive for October, 2010

: October, 2010

While the “beauty and the beast” comparisons are deployed at an exhausting rate when it comes to discussing the creative union of the swarthy former Screaming Trees frontman and the diaphanous founder of Belle and Sebastian, it’s not an analogy without merit.
When they took the stage at Neumos shortly after 10pm Tuesday night, the petite Campbell was bathed in warm red stage lights, blonde hair delicately tousled, while the familiar, imposing cut of Lanegan’s silhouette was nearly obscured by the shadows … …

Xiao Long Bao (XLB) are no ordinary dumplings. To describe them as soup dumplings, which is how they’re often translated, is actually misleading. They are not at all like the wontons, kreplach or tortellini you find in a bowl of soup. When you eat XLP, you find the soup inside the dumpling.
XLB are thin-skinned dumplings that are stuffed with both a meat filling and a gelatinous glob of soup … …

(Left to right) Elise Campello, Emily Rose Frasca, Lisa Hill, Ryan Demerick and James Padilla in the ArtsWest production of Evil Dead: The Musical. Photo by Michael Brunk.
Theatre
It wouldn’t be Halloween without the evil dead, so head over to ArtsWest this weekend for their production of Evil Dead: The Musical … …

Over the last thirty-plus years, Japanese musician/composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has produced a rich and varied body of work. The span of his career has ranged from sowing the seeds of electropop with Yellow Magic Orchestra, to pop collaborations with other luminary artists in the eighties and nineties (including David Sylvian, Iggy Pop, David Byrne and Thomas Dolby), to composing a large number of film scores, including Nagisa Oshima’s “Merry Christmas Mr … …

The Sound of Music dueling with Cabaret? A drunken, drag “Send In the Clowns”? God on a stick? These were just a handful of the demented sights and sounds that bombarded me in rapid succession at “Dolls ‘n’ Guys” at the Century Ballroom Friday night (part of the ongoing Heineken City Arts Fest).
It was so nutty, you really had to be there, but highlights included Juliet Waller Pruzan and Stephen Hando in the most deranged version of “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” (Camelot) I ever expect to see, complete with furry hand puppets and a too-big top hat; Hollis Wong-Wear switching seamlessly in alternate verses between a straight rendition of “I’m Just a Girl Who Can’t Say No” (Oklahoma!) and a rock-and-hip-hop-infused tour-de-force; and Paula the Swedish Housewife knocking our socks off (and, um, a few articles of her own attire) in “Rose’s Turn” (Gypsy) … …

Dave Matthews (above, right) was spotted at the Crocodile last night during the City Arts Fest Weepies show, chatting with members of opening band the Head and the Heart, who are apparently one his new favorites.
City Arts Fest-goer kalekim tweeted last night: “When I asked Dave Matthews what he thought of The Head and the Heart, he said, ‘I’m kind of obsessed with them … …

Looking to broaden your musical horizons?
Catch local flamenco duo Eric & Encarnatión with Long Beach, CA based singer Jesús Montaya this Friday at the Broadway Performance Hall. Flamenco singing can be something of an “acquired” taste, but these artists bring a passion and energy to their performances that make the learning curve easy … …

As part of the ongoing Fireside Chat series at Heineken City Arts Fest, City Arts editor Mark Baumgarten is sitting down with Chase Jarvis today to talk about Seattle 100, the exciting new book of Jarvis’ photography that celebrates over 100 influential people right here in Seattle.
The interview is being broadcast live at http://blog … …

Indie rock stars often make cameos in my dreams. As a music journalist by trade, I consider it my version of the boardroom nightmare. The only difference being that, instead of having swear words inexplicably show up in the middle of my big annual presentation, I show up at the home of Stephen Malkmus for an exclusive interview, only to discover that I am wearing nothing but Scooby-doo Underoos and that, instead of a microphone, I must interview the Pavement front man with one of the large ornamental wooden spoons that once hung in my parents’ den … …

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